Well, the rumors were true...sort of. Here we have the highly anticipated Rolex GMT-Master II reference 126710BLRO Pepsi bezel with Jubilee bracelet in stainless steel (well, Oystersteel to be exact). You may remember the last GMT to be released was the GMT-Master II Pepsi in white gold, back in 2014. While well-received, it left many people with mixed feelings over the precious metal travel watch. Prior to that in 2013, we had the "Batman" which was the last stainless steel GMT-Master II with blue and black bezel.

The new GMT has the same Cerachrome two-tone (red and blue) bi-directional bezel with 24-hour, night/day indication as well as the same black dial with luminous dot indexes. So what is new about this watch? Well, for one it has a Jubilee bracelet that hasn't been seen on a GMT-Master since the vintage years and is only used on current Datejust models. The bracelet is made of Oystersteel and has the Oysterlock clasp (with 5mm comfort extension for those hot summer days or that week you ate too much pizza). But the biggest news about this watch is the new caliber – the 3285. The previous iteration GMT had the 3186 which didn't have the new Chronergy escapement that has been added to new Rolex movements, allowing for a 15% gain in efficiency. It also boasts 70 hours of power reserve (beating out the caliber 3186's 48 hours). Additionally, there are 10 patents on this watch.

Initial Thoughts

As one of the most highly anticipated watch releases of the year, Rolex has done it again with the GMT-Master II Pepsi. Along with the Submariner and the Daytona, the GMT has long been a cornerstone of the brand and walks the fine line of usefulness and luxury with its design and function. As I mentioned earlier, when the previous iteration in white gold was released many people were disappointed that they couldn't get a Pepsi bezel GMT in steel and now they can. The new Jubilee bracelet and brand new caliber makes this watch all the more desirable and the price point? CHF 8,800, which comes out to roughly $9,000. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Rolex's sister brand, Tudor, ALSO released an Pepsi bezel GMT. So it will be interesting to see how people respond to that bit of news.